The NASCAR Rookie of the Year Award is presented to the first-year driver that has the best season in a NASCAR season. Each of NASCAR's national and regional touring series selects a RotY winner each year.
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History of the Award: Grand National/Winston Cup/Nextel Cup/Sprint Cup
The Rookie of the Year award for NASCAR's premier series was first presented to a driver named Blackie Pitt by Houston Lawing, NASCAR'S Public Relations director, in 1954. While it wasn't an official award, it would help set the standard for the top rookie prize.
From the 1958 through the 1973 seasons, NASCAR did not have an official points system to determine the Rookie of the Year. NASCAR's officials merely gathered together to select a winner. Naturally, this policy came under controversy, as officials didn't consider former champions from rival racing series. This system came to an end in 1973 after Lennie Pond was controversially chosen over Darrell Waltrip for the honor, even though Pond scored more points, although he ran 23 compared to Waltrip's 19 races. Since 1974, the Rookie of the Year points system described below has been used, even if it meant the winner was not the highest finisher in championship points.
Rookie Points System
Main Rookie Points
Rookie of the year candidates earn points for their best seventeen (Sprint Cup), sixteen (Nationwide), or fourteen (Craftsman Truck) races of the season. All other points are based on a ten-to-one system.
- The highest finishing rookie earns ten points, the second highest finishing rookie earns nine points, etc.
- One point is granted to all rookies who enter an event prior to the entry deadline, regardless of finishing position or even if they don't qualify. All rookies with teams that enter past the regular entry deadline ("post entry") do not receive this point.
Rookie Bonus Points
Bonus points are also awarded to drivers in the following circumstances:
- A rookie candidate finishes in the top ten in a race. If that candidate wins, he/she earns ten bonus rookie points. If that candidate finishes second, he/she earns nine bonus rookie points, etc.
- "Segment Bonus Points." The season is divided into three segments, the first segment being after the first ten races of the season, the second segment being after the second ten races of the season, and the third segment being the rest of the schedule. The candidate with the most championship points in each segment earns ten bonus rookie points, the candidate with the second-most championship points earns nine, etc. The system is different slightly in the Craftsman Truck Series because only 25 races, compared to the other two series, are run in their season.
- The rookie driver who finishes highest in the championship standings at season's end will receive an additional ten bonus rookie points.
Panel
There is a five-member panel composed of the preceding year's Series Champion, officials, etc. that meet during the final week of the season. They evaluate that year's candidates on the following criteria:
- Conduct with officials
- Conduct and awareness on the racetrack
- Personal appearance and conduct with the media
The panel may penalize rookies for any conduct that may be detrimental to NASCAR.
Anyone involved with a rookie candidate (such as a teammate or car owner) may NOT serve on that year's panel and will be replaced by another persin in that category. In case of the Series Champion, it is the preceding year's Series Champion. In 2002, Bobby Labonte served a second consecutive term on the Cup rookie panel as NASCAR disqualified Jeff Gordon from the position because of his equity ownership in Jimmie Johnson's #48 car. Labonte had served on the 2001 season panel because of his 2000 championship.
Eligibility
Drivers must meet the following criteria in order to be eligible to run for or receive the Rookie of the Year award.
- Must have run no more than seven races in any previous season.
- Drivers who compete in more than five races in a higher series are not eligible for the award in a lower series.
- If a driver does not start eight races before the end of Race 20 on the schedule, they will immediately become ineligible to earn rookie points for the rest of that season. The seven-race-limit still applies pertaining to eligibility for future attempts.
- A driver may NOT receive rookie points if he/she starts a race for a team that he/she did not qualify with. However, he/she is still eligible for championship points in that race.
There have been a few cases where aspiring Sprint Cup drivers have sacrificed their future eligibility to be Rookie of the Year candidates by driving part-time schedules including more than seven Cup races. Three famous examples in recent years are Carl Edwards (13 Cup races in 2004), Marcos Ambrose (11 races in 2008), and Brad Keselowski (15 races in 2009, including a win).
NASCAR Sprint Cup
2009 standings
- Joey Logano (#20)–219 points
- Scott Speed (#82)–196 points
- Max Papis (#13)–121 points
Officially eliminated from contention
- Dexter Bean (#51)
History of Sprint Cup RotY Awards
Below is a list of all winners, and known runner-ups. (Note: some of the drivers listed here are not confirmed as ROY contenders, and competed in more than the maximum number of races to be eligible for ROY honors.)
| † | Did not declare for ROY, but ran more than five (or seven as of 2001) races and are completely ineligible for the award. |
| ‡ | Declared for ROY, made enough races to be declared a series rookie contender for that season (seven races as of 2001; was five prior to that). |
| * | Declared for ROY, but did not make minimum five (or seven as of 2001) races, still eligible |
| Ø | Died during rookie season, received award posthumously |
| æ | Did not receive an official award |
| ± | Died during rookie season and was unable to complete the schedule |
NASCAR Nationwide Series
2009 standings
- Justin Allgaier (#12)–224 points
- Brendan Gaughan (#62)–207 points
- Michael McDowell (#96)–189 points
- Michael Annett (#15)–182 points
- Scott Lagasse Jr. (??)–154 points
- Erik Darnell (#6)–143 points
- John Wes Townley (#09)–124 points
- Ken Butler III (#23)–82 points
- Terry Cook (#91)–48 points
Officially eliminated from contention
- Peyton Sellers (#77)
- Marc Davis (#??)
History of Nationwide Series RotY Awards
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
2009 standings
- Johnny Sauter (#13)–210 points
- Tayler Malsam (#81)–175 points
- James Buescher (#10)–156 points
- Ricky Carmichael (#4)–127 points
- Brian Ickler (#15)–95 points
- J. R. Fitzpatrick (#4)–88 points
- Chris Jones (#87)–66 points
- Brent Raymer (#85)–65 points
Officially eliminated from competition
- Chase Austin (#??)–16 points
- Ryan Hackett (#76)–5 points
History of Camping World Truck Series RotY Awards
See also
- Whelen Modified Tour (includes list of WMT RotY award winners)
Sources & References
- NASCAR.com
- Jayski's Rookie Section
- Racing Reference
- Racing Thrills
- NASCAR Chronicle by Greg Fielden & Consumer Guide.
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